e kris in
his hand, he held the blade threateningly towards the mahout and
beckoned to him to come.

His gestures were so plain, and the manifestations with the little,
wave-bladed dagger so easily comprehensible, that the poor, shivering,
little wretch dragged himself out of his seat and knelt upon the head of
the smaller elephant and bowed down with his hands extended as if asking
for mercy.

"Ah, you know you deserve it!" roared Peter. "Now then, give me that
weapon--quick!"

The man raised his head a little and looked up at the lad, who was
making a horrible grimace and rolling his eyes; and then seeming to
fully grasp his meaning, he quickly drew kris and sheath from the folds
of his sarong, and held them out to Peter, who snatched them away and
handed them to Archie.

"Now then," shouted Peter, "don't you pretend you can't understand plain
English, because if you do I'll--" He raised the spear on high and made
as if to deliver a thrust, with the effect that the mahout uttered a
shriek of fear and banged his forehead heavily down between his hands.
"Now get up," roared Peter; and the man raised his head and displayed a
face and lips quivering with fear, shrinking sharply as the lad reached
out and laid the blade of the spear upon the thinly covered shoulder.
"Now, you understand: if you try to play any games you will get this.
D'ye 'ear?"

The poor fellow uttered a few words in his own tongue, and raised his
hands together towards Peter as if begging for mercy.

What followed took some considerable time and proved a difficult task,
for the mahout was almost beside himself with fear; but as soon as he
grasped Peter's meaning he set to work excitedly, and with the
cleverness born of experience he loosened the ropes of the tiger pad
upon the lesser elephant, unlaced them, and with Peter's assistance
dragged it on to the back of the larger beast, Archie having changed his
place to Rajah's neck, where he sat facing the workers with a spear in
each hand.

"Don't look so good-tempered, sir," Peter stopped for a few moments to
say. "Squeege your eyes up, sir, and show your teeth, as if you meant
to eat the little beggar."

"Oh, nonsense!" replied Archie. "You have regularly mastered him now.
The poor little wretch is half-dead with fright."

"Yuss!" growled Peter, turning to give a savage look at his panting
little companion. "He knows what Great Britons are, sir; and it's lucky
for him he does.--Now then,